The 2015 Paris climate summit was convened for world leaders to discuss ways to drop global temperatures "well below" a level of two degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial-era numbers. The "Paris Agreement," endorsed by 200 nations, called for each country reduce greenhouse gas emissions. US Secretary of State John Kerry called the agreement a "tremendous victory for all of our citizens," adding, "We have taken a critical step forward."
Former US Vice President Al Gore said at the time, "Years from now, our grandchildren will reflect on humanity's moral courage to solve the climate crisis. And they will look to Dec. 12, 2015, as the day when the community of nations finally made the decision to act."
The US Environmental Protection Agency writes that "Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation primarily come from burning fossil fuel for our cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes…Over 90 percent of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes gasoline and diesel."
The report was drafted with the assumption that fuel-based cars will still be in use until 2050.
Niklas Höhne, of the New Climate Institute, told Reuters, "It's striking that it's so early, it means a huge change in the whole automobile industry."
Some island nations and developing countries asked 1.5 degrees Celsius be marked as an "aspirational goal" as their countries stand to be the most affected by rising sea levels. But accountability, funding and technology issues have lead some experts to doubt the feasibility of the goal.
The report stated, "Electric vehicles are still more expensive to purchase than other cars, and policy projections still only see a share of around five percent of electric vehicles in the total European Union, China and U.S. fleets by 2030."
At an Earth Day Celebration in New York months after the agreement was settled, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "The era of consumption without consequences is over…We must intensify efforts to decarbonise our economies. And we must support developing countries in making this transition."
